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You’ve Got Your Braces Now What?

You’ve Got Your Braces Now What?

You have already taken the steps to a perfect smile, and you have begun your Orthodontic treatment, but what happens now you have your new braces? Orthodontic treatment times vary from individual to individual and it’s important that you do your part to make sure you’re happy and comfortable during treatment.

The Journey To Comfort

It’s no secret that orthodontic treatment causes some temporary discomfort to your mouth, teeth and gums for a day or two after braces & retainers are fitted or adjusted. But the good news is that you can manage the discomfort by understanding what is happening to your teeth and following some of the simple steps below. If you’re experiencing continuous irritation, or if your level of discomfort is affecting your eating or your speech, contact your practice as soon as you can.

Whats happening to my teeth?

Having any orthodontic treatment encourages your teeth to move, teeth that have been in your head your entire life. When your start your treatment or have your braces adjusted, a gentle force is applied to your tooth. This force causes ligaments around the tooth’s root to stretch or shrink, while they are being moved into their new position and eventually the stretched ligaments form new bone holding the tooth in place. Your level of discomfort will depend on whether you are being treated with removable braces or a fixed brace.

Foods

It’s advisable to consume soft foods when your braces have been fitted or adjusted. Here are our tips on what to eat when your discomfort is high:

Eat soft foods like rice, pasta, soup & bananas. Some patients even consume baby food when they have had their braces adjusted.

You may be able to eat thinly chopped carrot sticks and sliced apple and pear

You can also consume smoothies and juices when levels of discomfort are high. Juices and smoothies are high in nutrients, and not too damaging to your teeth and new braces (when made freshly at home, if you are buying pre-made juices ensure you check the label for sugar content).

Following these steps will ensure your discomfort level is kept at a minimum when your brace has been adjusted.

Removable braces

The discomfort experienced when you receive your new tray has been described as wearing a pair of shoes that are slightly too small around your teeth! The benefit of a removable brace like Invisalign is that your teeth are moved in micro steps, meaning the force at which they are moved is gentle and fast, keeping discomfort to a minimum. You will also be able to remove your brace when eating and drinking which means discomfort will not affect eating when you receive your new trays.

Fixed braces

When your fixed brace is first fitted, you may experience irritation of the lips or cheeks. Again, this is a very normal symptom of orthodontic treatment and can be treated easily with non-medicinal relief wax provided in your care packet. Simply roll the wax into a small pea-sized ball and press gently against the area of the brace that is irritating your mouth. Make sure you avoid hot drinks while using relief wax to ensure it doesn’t melt away from your brace. When your brace is adjusted you may find the discomfort makes it difficult for you to eat solid food.

What can happen to your new brace

Occasionally there can be some complications with your braces. You should always contact your practice if any parts of your braces come loose or away from your teeth.

If your wire dislodges you should or your bracket breaks you should contact your surgery ASAP.

Keeping your brace & teeth clean

We all know how important it is to keep your teeth clean. The aim of the game is to straighten your teeth, gain beautiful smile, maintain healthy teeth and gums while avoiding decay, gum disease and decalcification. When you have a brace, bacteria have more places to hide, meaning you have to be extra vigilant and take great care of your oral hygiene. Again, the way to take clean your teeth and braces depends on the treatment you are having.

Fixed braces

1. Toothbrushing

When you wear a fixed brace you must brush your teeth at least four times a day, so morning and evening as you would usually do and after every meal. You’ll also be provided with an interspace brush (a brush with a tip at a right angle and smaller bristles) which you’ll need to use after your regular toothbrush to clean around the wires and brackets. We recommend our patients use an electric toothbrush, our favourites are Philips sonic care & Colgate 350.

Top tip: carry a bag containing a travel toothbrush, interspace brush, toothpaste, mirror, floss and mouthwash with you so you’re able to clean your teeth as often as you need too.

2. Disclosing Tablets

Use disclosing tablets once a week to highlight areas where plaque is building up, and highlight where you need to concentrate on when cleaning your teeth and brace.

3. Floss

When you floss your teeth regularly you are maintaining your gum line, keeping it healthy. You will need to floss around the wire of your fixed brace as well as in between your teeth as usual.

Removable Braces

As with a fixed brace, you will need to brush your teeth after every meal. You’ll also need to clean your Invisalign braces by brushing them in lukewarm water. You can also use special cleaning tablets such as Invisalign cleaning crystals or retainer brite tablets. You will need to take care of your oral hygiene as you usually would, so brush, floss & use mouthwash as usual! The main benefits of Invisalign are that your life does not have to change too much to accommodate your treatment.

Protect your smile

If you’re worried about how your new brace will impact you playing your favourite sports, don’t worry! A fixed brace and a contact sport equal a recipe for disaster unless you are prepared. Luckily, we offer three varieties of sports guard to ensure you continue to love playing sport with your new brace!

Being a former "frightened of dentists" patient, I cannot recommend Smile 101 enough. Their friendliness and support by all staff throughout my treatment has been amazing and has eased the majority of my worries. For such a long time I was told that there was nothing that could be done and finding someone who was willing to help me was a massive relief - I am overjoyed with the end results and simply cannot stop smiling. If you're thinking of looking into treatment I urge you to book a consultation and meet the team for yourself to see that you will be in safe hands. A+ service - thanks so much! :)

I'm coming toward the end of my treatment at Smile101 and I am very pleased I chose Smile101 as my orthodontist. The first consultation was a very open, comfortable discussion which laid out my options with advice for the best solution for my case. In my regular appointments I'm always able to get the answers to any questions I have and feel I receive a very professional service. I'd recommend anyone thinking about getting orthodontic treatment to give Smile101 a call!

I started my treatment with Smile101 in early 2015, I am over the moon with the service and the way my teeth look and feel. The staff are all fantastic and always find a way to schedule my appointments around my crazy working hours. I would recommend this practice to anyone and everyone interested in perfecting their smile. The consultation was completely free and covered everything I wanted to know and my treatment was smooth throughout. 5*

Smile 101 deliver service and treatment with a smile. I am delighted with the results following an enjoyable journey from start to finish. I looked forward to my appointments because Sheila and the team made me feel so welcome and delivered a professional service. Don't delay, star your journey today.

I started my treatment with Smile 101 in 2014. In 2010 I had a traumatic injury to my front teeth. This event ruined my smile and since then I felt always uncomfortable. Dr Sheila changed my life, she immediately found a solution for me, being always caring and so optimistic. The impact on my teeth was quite severe and for this reason Sheila suggested Invisalign. I followed her advice and to be honest I was quite happy, because I didn't want to wear braces again as I did few years ago. I just wanted something invisible and enough to fix my problem. Looking at my teeth the way they are now is just unbelievable, and I couldn't be much happier.
In the middle of my treatment I moved to London and going to my regular appointments was quite difficult. The team at Smile 101 was always very helpful and flexible facilitating my treatment. I received a professional service and I'd recommend to anyone.
Thank you Smile 101 to give me back my smile and making my life a bit brighter. You're fantastic!
Thank you
Sandra Martins

No complaints, my brace never caused me any discomfort other than the generic tightness and the treatment afterwards with my retainer was all successful. I always had confidence in the orthodontist and was given realistic feedback and information which made the experience very easy. Everyone involved was always very friendly and booking appointments was never an issue. I also felt I didn't have any more appointments than were necessary which was good for me because travelling from Reading wasn't something I wanted to do too often. Would recommend lots, especially because I didn't like what they orthodontists in Reading planned for my teeth so was very willing to travel to Windsor for the superior treatment. :)

last year i had the invisalign treatment, and I'm so so happy i went through with it, apart from finally being able to say i now love my smile, what made the whole experience worth it even more so was the team. smile101 Windsor has the best customer service i have ever experienced! what am amazing group of people, every single person is pleasure, if i could do it all again i definitly would, thank you Sheila, Pat, Nadia, Emmit, Marko, Rachel and the rest of the team for the best experience, there are no words good enough to say how wonderful you all are

I have just successfully finished my Invisalign treatment and I strongly recommend this centre, particularly for those leaving in the area. There is the possibility to book appointments at flexible times what makes the treatment easier to follow. The staff is very supportive and friendly, and Sheila is very strong at what she does so you wilI get the best advise and feel that you can trust her. I have come a long way and I don't regret the choice despite a very challenging start and complications during the treatment (including adapting the steps around a wedding!). Great place to look after your teeth beauty and health!

Being a former "frightened of dentists" patient, I cannot recommend Smile 101 enough. Their friendliness and support by all staff throughout my treatment has been amazing and has eased the majority of my worries. For such a long time I was told that there was nothing that could be done and finding someone who was willing to help me was a massive relief - I am overjoyed with the end results and simply cannot stop smiling. If you're thinking of looking into treatment I urge you to book a consultation and meet the team for yourself to see that you will be in safe hands. A+ service - thanks so much! :)

I have just successfully finished my Invisalign treatment and I strongly recommend this centre, particularly for those leaving in the area. There is the possibility to book appointments at flexible times what makes the treatment easier to follow. The staff is very supportive and friendly, and Sheila is very strong at what she does so you wilI get the best advise and feel that you can trust her. I have come a long way and I don't regret the choice despite a very challenging start and complications during the treatment (including adapting the steps around a wedding!). Great place to look after your teeth beauty and health!

I'm coming toward the end of my treatment at Smile101 and I am very pleased I chose Smile101 as my orthodontist. The first consultation was a very open, comfortable discussion which laid out my options with advice for the best solution for my case. In my regular appointments I'm always able to get the answers to any questions I have and feel I receive a very professional service. I'd recommend anyone thinking about getting orthodontic treatment to give Smile101 a call!

I started my treatment with Smile101 in early 2015, I am over the moon with the service and the way my teeth look and feel. The staff are all fantastic and always find a way to schedule my appointments around my crazy working hours. I would recommend this practice to anyone and everyone interested in perfecting their smile. The consultation was completely free and covered everything I wanted to know and my treatment was smooth throughout. 5*

Smile 101 deliver service and treatment with a smile. I am delighted with the results following an enjoyable journey from start to finish. I looked forward to my appointments because Sheila and the team made me feel so welcome and delivered a professional service. Don't delay, star your journey today.

I went in for a free consultation with Sheila, although I didn't expect much I ended up walking away feeling quite let down. It was quite honestly one of the most patrnosing people I have had the chance to converse with. I was continuously talked down to and every reply I got was greeted with a smirk from Sheila as if nothing but nonsense was coming out of my mouth. Granted all practitioners are experts in their field but to make a patient feel like they are being judged or as if they know nothing is really not the trait of someone who delivers great customer service. I wanted to walk out almost immediately but due to my nature I let her talk and did my best to not say anything hostile or out of anger and instead walked out feeling very annoyed. I had a friend who visited them before and I brought up Sheila's tone and they laughed and said they had been to see her previously and felt the exact same thing. Terrible service even if it was a free consultation so I would avoid.

I started my treatment with Smile 101 in 2014. In 2010 I had a traumatic injury to my front teeth. This event ruined my smile and since then I felt always uncomfortable. Dr Sheila changed my life, she immediately found a solution for me, being always caring and so optimistic. The impact on my teeth was quite severe and for this reason Sheila suggested Invisalign. I followed her advice and to be honest I was quite happy, because I didn't want to wear braces again as I did few years ago. I just wanted something invisible and enough to fix my problem. Looking at my teeth the way they are now is just unbelievable, and I couldn't be much happier.
In the middle of my treatment I moved to London and going to my regular appointments was quite difficult. The team at Smile 101 was always very helpful and flexible facilitating my treatment. I received a professional service and I'd recommend to anyone.
Thank you Smile 101 to give me back my smile and making my life a bit brighter. You're fantastic!
Thank you
Sandra Martins

No complaints, my brace never caused me any discomfort other than the generic tightness and the treatment afterwards with my retainer was all successful. I always had confidence in the orthodontist and was given realistic feedback and information which made the experience very easy. Everyone involved was always very friendly and booking appointments was never an issue. I also felt I didn't have any more appointments than were necessary which was good for me because travelling from Reading wasn't something I wanted to do too often. Would recommend lots, especially because I didn't like what they orthodontists in Reading planned for my teeth so was very willing to travel to Windsor for the superior treatment. :)

last year i had the invisalign treatment, and I'm so so happy i went through with it, apart from finally being able to say i now love my smile, what made the whole experience worth it even more so was the team. smile101 Windsor has the best customer service i have ever experienced! what am amazing group of people, every single person is pleasure, if i could do it all again i definitly would, thank you Sheila, Pat, Nadia, Emmit, Marko, Rachel and the rest of the team for the best experience, there are no words good enough to say how wonderful you all are